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Empowering women to fight overpopulation

Make yourself aware of these issues, especially when the effects of the problem are more severe in other countries, especially as we are disproportionately responsible for the problem
Posted by Fred Steiner on Friday, May 7, 2021

By Amelia Alexander
Recently, a lovely person who reads my work on the Icon sent me a thoughtful article. While the article was written over a decade ago, it is still relevant. It tackles open discourse about overpopulation.

I decided to relay my main takeaways and add some of my own thoughts and some other resources. I made sure to find more current statistics than those used in the article. The article is long and covers many more points than I will right now, so it may be worthwhile to check it out. Click here to read it. 

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COVID-19: Safety in numbers

As vaccination rates are increasing, the number of cases in Ohio is decreasing for a second straight week
Posted by Fred Steiner on Tuesday, May 4, 2021

By Karen Kier,
Pharmacist on behalf of the ONU HealthWise team
As vaccination rates are increasing, the number of cases in Ohio is decreasing for a second straight week.

Ohio reports that 32.8% of the population is vaccinated, which is slightly higher than the overall country at 31.5%. These numbers are far below the estimated herd immunity requirement to successfully reduce COVID-19 infections and exposures.

Some experts believe that a 60-70% rate would be sufficient but Dr. Fauci and other infectious disease specialists estimate a 90% vaccination rate is necessary to reduce the number of cases and deaths.

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Icon music review: Five songs sort of about desserts

Do you have a favorite song featuring sweets? Let the Icon know in the comments!
Posted by Fred Steiner on Sunday, April 25, 2021

Reviewed/written by Craig Hoffman 
I am not a big dessert guy. My wife makes super dinners. She does usually put some fruit into a little bowl for our after-dinner treat. It’s the opposite of eating chocolate cheesecake in America. And it does keep me passing health checks, so there is that. 

Here are some fun songs about dessert (and other things)! Do you have a favorite song featuring sweets? Let the Icon know in the comments!

Song Recommendation: “Birthday Cake”- Rihanna (2011) 
It’s not the most catchy of songs. The lyrics repeat a ton. But, hey, birthday cake is always awesome! Right?

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COVID-19:  What are the odds?

Hardin County is at 111.6 cases per 100,000 people
Posted by Fred Steiner on Tuesday, April 20, 2021

By Karen Kier
Pharmacist on behalf of the ONU HealthWise team
The number of COVID-19 cases continues to rise in the United States, globally, and in Ohio. 

On April 15, 2021, the US reported 74,374 new COVID-19 cases with 2,164 from Ohio and four from Hardin County. This week Ohio contributed 2.9% of the country’s cases. 

Hancock County is in the top five reported counties in Ohio with 304.8 new cases per 100,000 people and Allen County is reporting 160.2 per 100,000. 

Hardin County is at 111.6 cases per 100,000 people followed by Logan County at 96.3 per 100,000. 

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I’ve had writer’s block lately

In our culture, it’s very common to feel shame when we are not productive, but I know that my self worth should not depend on how much I produce
Posted by Fred Steiner on Sunday, April 18, 2021

By Amelia Alexander
Lately I’ve been feeling like an impostor and a failure. The other day, I was being incredibly negative and one of my friends kindly pointed out that I should be all about the growth mindset, considering I have written an entire article about it.

I was feeling embarrassed because he was completely correct. I was being a hypocrite, and I felt very disconnected from the “good writer” people have told me that I am.

I’ve been struggling to write, and the feeling of being stuck has seeped its way into other aspects of my life. 

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Icon book review: The Four Winds

Robert McCool writes: "This new book exhibits the power of her prose that's present that's in all of her writing"
Posted by Fred Steiner on Thursday, April 8, 2021

Review by Robert McCool
Kristin Hannah does  it again.

I've gone back and read every one of Kristin Hannah's (The Nightingale, The Great Alone) novels, and this new book exhibits the power of her prose that's present that's in all of her writing.

In “The Four Winds” (ISBN 978-1-64358-823-0) the strength of her protagonist is the strength exhibited in all of her female characters. The strength to carry the weight the world, and sometimes that means the whole family, upon her shoulders.

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